Building panel lifter



May 5, 1970 M. s. GoF

BUILDING PANEL LIFTER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 26, 1968 9 R L5 4 mr, M N R 6 E@ O 42g V T :l li .F4/.f llll f w s--- ms Y m ,si a., 4 M m 5 a, 5 y wf y m zml. x. f 5 V l ,,o, W M 5 6 0) m/ y M 4%. 4 3 l @l P9 .I H I llllllllllll IIIIIIII l 1 y 4 a, M l P) 7 l5 May 5, 1970 Filed April 26. 1968 M. S. GCF

BUILDING PANEL LIFTER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. MHHMMED 5. GOP' United States Patent O 3,510,105 BUILDING PANEL LIF TER Mohammed S. Gof, 89 Haledon Ave., Paterson, NJ. 07522 Filed Apr. 26, 1968, Ser. No. 724,443 Int. Cl. B60p 1/14 U.S. Cl. 254--4 7 Claims ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE This invention is directed to a portable device for lifting and positioning in place for nailing, ceiling panel or board used in building construction. The principal object of the invention is to provide such a lifting device that can readily be disassembled for storage or transportation from job to job, and which, as well as being readily movable from place to place while `work progresses on the job, also includes an extension mechanism adapting the device to use in higher than usual ceiling construetion.

Another object is to provide a building lifter device of the character described which is light enough to be easily assembled, adjusted as to height, and moved about by one man, both with respect to assembly and disassembly and use on the job.

A 'more particular object is to provide a lifting device of the above nature comprising easily interlitted telescoping base, intermediate and top sections, and crank mechanism for relatively extending said sections in the vertical direction, and further including a ratchet and pawl device for temporarily maintaining the li-fter in its elevated position at a selected height whereat a ceiling panel supported at the top section can be held against a ceiling framework for nailing.

Still another object is to provide a building panel lifter of the character described wherein the various telescopingly intertted sections are constructed of stock structural elements such as angle iron and channel iron members, of such weight and so welded and bolted together as to provide a strong and lightweight assemblage that will be low in cost, foolproof in operation and durable 1n use.

Other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description when read with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, Iwherein like reference numerals denote corresponding parts throughout the several views:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a building board lifter embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a rear elevational view thereof;

FIG. 3 is a horizontal cross-sectional View taken along the line 3-3 of FIG. l in the direction of the arrow;

FIG. 4 is a horizontal cross-sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 2 in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 5 is an oblique View of the building board lifter illustrated in FIG. l, as seen rfrom above, and

FIG. 6 is a front elevational view of the top section,

illustrating how it can be adjusted to achieve an over-all increased lifting height when necessary.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, numeral 10 in FIGS. 1 and 2 designates, generally, a novel and improved building board lifter embodying the invention, the same being fabricated in the form of interfitted members comprising base section 11, intermediate section 12 and moveable top section 13, all preferably fabricated of standard steel structural members such as bars, angle irons and channel members, as is hereinafter described.

The base section 11 is in the form of a substantially square, open lframework comprised of front and back angle arm members 14 and 15 and side angle iron members 16, 17, all welded or otherwise secured together in assembled relation. The front corners of the base section framework are supported above the floor by downwardly-extending short angle iron legs 18, 19. The rear corners of the base section framework are provided with downwardly-extending brackets 20, 21, journalling rear corner Wheels 22, 23, facilitating movement of the building board lifter from place to place during its use, as hereinafter described. The rear corners of the base section 12 are also provided with upwardly-extending post members 24, 25, said post members being U-shaped in cross-section with their open sides facing each other, as illustrated in FIG. 3. In order to enhance the structural rigidity of the upstanding post members 24, 25, they are braced at the sides by brace-bars 26, 27 welded between top portions of said post members and their corresponding side angle iron members 16, 17, respectively, and back brace bar members 28, 29 welded between top portions of said post members and the back angle iron member 15.

The intermediate section 12 comprises a pair of spaced, parallel channel members 30, 31 arranged so that their open sides face each other, as illustrated in FIG. 3, secured together by a transverse cross bar 32 near the lower ends thereof and a transverse angle from member 33 welded between said channel members near the upper end thereof. The angle iron member 33 has a rearwardlyextending portion 34 to the underside of which, at a central position therealong, is secured a pulley or sheave 35. 'Ihe intermediate section channel members 30, 31, also have welded therebetween, at a central position along their lengths, a transverse support bar 36. The support bar 36 journals a rearwardly-extending drum 37 Xed against the outside of which is a ratchet wheel 38. The support bar 36 has pivotally aiiixed with respect thereto a. pawl 39 arranged and adapted to interengage with teeth on the ratchet wheel 38 to hold it in adjusted position, as hereinafter described. The support bar 36 additionally journals a pinion 40 in mesh with the ratchet wheel 38 and carrying a crank 41 for manual turning of said ratchet wheel for raising and lowering the movable top section 13 in the manner hereinafter described. As illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, the channel members 30 and 31 of the intermediate section 12 are of such cross-sectional size and shape, and so spaced, as to be snugly received within the channel openings of the base section post members 24, 25 when the device is assembled for use.

The movable top section 13 comprises a pair of spaced, parallel channel iron side members 42, 43, secured in assembled relation at their lower ends by a transverse cross bar 44. Pivotally secured to the upper ends of the channel members 42, 43, as by pivot pins 46, 47, is a pair of horizontal support members 48, 49, which may be of angle iron cross-sectional shape. Means is provided for releasably supporting the horizontal support members 48, 49 in horizontally-extending position, as illustrated in FIG. l. To this end, a pair of brace bars 50, 51, also of angular cross-sectional shape, is provided, one end each of said bars being pivotally secured to one each of said channel members at positions spaced below the upper ends thereof by a distance of about one-half their length, and the outer end, being releasably attached to the outer ends of the horizontal support members 48, 49, respectively, as by bolts, 52. The horizontal support members 48, 49, are provided with angle-iron transverse support members 53, 54 secured in spaced parallel relation near the inner and outer ends, respectively, of said support members. The transverse support members 53, 54, have swingably attached to their ends, as by bolts 55, outwardlyextending, opposed extension members 56, 57, and 58, 59, respectively, which normally extend horizontally-outwardly of each side of said transverse support members, for the support of large size plaster board, wall board, plywood or other construction board P when lifting from below in the manner hereinafter described. The channel members 42, 43 of the movable top section 13 are so spaced and of such cross-sectional size as to be received slidingly within and between the spaced parallel members 30, 31, of the intermediate section 12, as best illustrated in FIG. 4.

As a means for manually raising and lowering the movable top section 13 with respect to the intermediate section 12, the lower cross-bar 44 of said top section as drilled, as indicated at 62, to receive the end of a cable 63 releasably tied thereat, said cable being threaded over the pulley 35 of the intermediate section 12 and secured at its distal end to the drum 37. It will thus be apparent from inspection of FIG. 2 that manual turning of the crank 41 in the clockwise direction will serve to wind the cable 63 on the drum 37, thereby shortening said cable to lift the movable top section 13 to which it is attached. It will be understood that once the desired height is attained, the pawl 39 will automatically hold the ratchet and the drum assembly in adjusted position until released by manual displacement of said pawl, whereupon the crank will be used to lower the movable top section 33 to the desired position for loading with another piece of building board, said intermediate section being movable between upper and lower limit positions indicated by the broken line representations thereof in FIG. l.

In use, it will be understood that the lifting device in its assembled condition can readily be moved from place to place simply by tilting slightly to the rear and rolling on the corner wheels 22, 23. It is further to be noted that the device can readily be disassembled into its three component parts for compact storage. As described above, the manually-operated bolts 52 can readily be removed from the top section 13 to permit its being folded to substantially llat condition for storage or convenience in transportation from job to job.

As illustrated in FIG. 6, the height of the top section can be increased, when working with higher than usual ceilings, by swinging the extension member pairs 56, S7 and 58, 59 upwardly and fixing them in such adjusted position by means of a rope 65 attached around and between cross-bars 67, 68 secured transversely between said extension members, respectively, near their outer ends. The outer ends of the extension members 56, 57 and 58, 59 are tted with outwardly-extending U-shaped brackets 64 which, when said extension members are in upwardlyextended position, serve as seats nfor receiving elongated, transversely-disposed poles 66 for support of the wall board.

While I have illustrated and described herein only one form in which the invention can conveniently be embodied in practice, it is to be understood that this form is presented by way of example only and not in a limiting sense. The invention, in brief, comprises all the modiications and embodiments coming within the scope and spirit of the following claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A building panel lifter for use in applying ceiling board or panel to a ceiling framework in building construction comprising, in combination, a base section, an intermediate section and a top section, said base section having a pair of post members, said intermediate section having a pair of spaced, parallel, elongated channel members receivable at one end within said post members, said top section having a pair of spaced parallel, elongated side members telescopingly received at their lower ends within said intermediate section channel members, a pair of elongated horizontal support members pivotally secured at one end to the upper ends each of said side members, brace bar means for securing said horizontal support members in substantially horizontal disposition with respect to side members when said side members are vertically disposed, and crank and pulley mechanism acting between said intermediate section and said top section for telescopingly extending said top section with respect to said intermediate section.

2. A building panel lifter as delined in claim 1 wherein said base section comprises a rectangular framework, said post members extending upwardly of two adjacent corners of said framework, said horizontal support members being arranged to extend outwardly of their respective channel members in the direction of the remaining two corners of said base framework.

3. A ibuilding panel lifter as dened in claim 2 including a pair of wheels journaled with respect to said framework under one each of said post members.

4. A building panel lifter as delined in claim 3 including ratchet and pawl means for temporarily securing said top section in extended position.

5. A building panel lifter as defined in claim 4 including mechanism for extending the height of said top section.

6. A building panel lifter as defined in claim 5 wherein said top section height extending .mechanism comprises a rst pair of elongated extension members pivotally attached at one end to opposite end portions of one of said horizontal support members and swingable upwardly with respect thereto, a second pair of elongated extension members pivotally attached to one end to opposite end portions of the other of said horizontal support members and swingable upwardly with respect thereto, and means for interjoining said extension member pairs in adjusted up- References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,472,887 46/ 1949 Core 254-4 3,028,978 4/ 1962 Dickens 254-4 X 3,197,178 7/1965 Nietz 254-4 ROBERT C. RIORDON, Primary Examiner D. R. MELTON, Assistant Examiner 

